KUALA LUMPUR: The national team finished a respectable fourth place in the first leg of the Asian Rugby Under-20 Sevens Series at the Pasir Gudang Sports Complex today.
After winning all three of their group matches yesterday, the team beat Thailand 33-12 in the last
eight but lost to Sri Lanka 17-12 in a sudden death in the semi-finals after both sides were tied 12-all at the end of regulation time.
The squad had played with only six men for most of the second half after Mohamad Hanis Mohamad was sent off for tackling an opponent in the air just after the restart.
Taiwan, who lost to eventual winners Hong Kong 27-7 in their semi-final, edged Malaysia 12-7 in the third place playoff.
Hong Kong successfully defended their title with a 29-15 win over Sri Lanka in the final while Japan won the women's category after drubbing Hong Kong 38-0 in the decider.
The final leg of the series will be held in Hong Kong on Aug 22-23.